The Sun and Moon
by BabyChocoboAlchemist
Summary: "You're such a warm, wonderful person. How can you not see it?" Prompto/Iris fluff. On the verge of Noct's wedding to Lunafreya, Prompto's worried about losing everything. Iris is determined to prove him wrong.


Author's Note: _Once upon a time, in the land of public transit, a young woman named Courtney watched a Youtube video called 'Iris is best waifu'. It featured Iris fighting alongside the chocobros in battle. Within the first ten seconds, she healed Prompto and told him to 'hang in there'. A weary but grateful Prompto told her 'I will, thanks'._

 _So I began shipping Iris with the baby chocobo. Thus, my decision to write an alternate version of the trip to Altissia, where she has joined the Sailor Scouts and it's almost New Year's Day._

 _The end._

 _Oh, and happy new year!_

* * *

The moon couldn't rest until the sun was shining again.

The sun dropped out of the sky, leaving the world void of warmth with its abrupt disappearance. The reasons behind the sudden loss of light were unknown, but the moon was on the path for answers, determined to restore precious illumination. The world, _her_ world, would not be at peace until the mysterious disappearance ended. So off she went, leaving her three brothers to enjoy the splendor of Altissia's market, in search of the light that had oddly faded.

Gentle footsteps trickled against the floors of Altissia's inn, a grand palace that overlooked pristine waters. Night had fallen about the vast garden of dreams, giving their world an ethereal glow-one she hoped to share with the fallen sun. Just when she thought they'd all enjoy the New Year's Market together, the sun bolted, concealing a world of anguish with his usual smile. He managed to evade his brothers' vigilant spirits, but that was only because she decided to pursue him. Noctis, Ignis and Gladiolus weren't at all comfortable with letting their chocobo sit in his make-belief triumph, so with smiles they let her follow him, knowing he'd be well taken care of.

The moon couldn't rest until the sun was shining again, so off she went, spirits as high as the stars. The city was about to light up the stars with another grand display of fireworks, in celebration of the upcoming year, but she could not rest until the sun was at peace once more. Light footsteps soon stopped right outside of his door. Gently, so she wouldn't disturb the delicate balance of light and purity, she knocked on his door. "It's me, Prompto," she called out to him. "Lemme in!"

Her request was granted a moment later, the door being opened by a surprised photographer. To conceal open wounds yet again, he stamped another smile on his face.

"Iris! What's up? The bros around?"

"Nope, it's just me," the moon said, hands behind her back, eyes twinkling like the stars she slept amongst. "Everything all right?" her friend asked, having transformed into a genuine picture of deep concern. With a soft laugh she ruffled his hair, then pressed her way into the room he shared with Ignis. The team had broken off into two branches for the night, with Prompto not wanting to be anywhere near Noctis. An incident that helped to prompt her investigation into the sun's disappearance. "Not really," she confessed.

"You took off so suddenly, I got worried. Is everything all right with _you?"_

"Yeah," the sun replied, not at all surprising her. With the merriest smile, he returned to his bed-where photographs had been lovingly arranged. Prepared for a project he had been working on, for quite a while. "Just thought I'd fix my pictures up, y'know," he told her, eyes shining with genuine joy as he looked over the memories.

"For my scrapbook. Don't wanna show you yet because it's not done, but I'm working on it. It's gonna be really cool when it's done, too. Just you wait!"

Iris flashed a frown he did not see. _His scrapbook. He took off like that just to work on his scrapbook? Yeah right. It's sweet, how much he loves his pictures, but seriously? So not buying it._

"You've taken a _ton_ of pictures, really good ones too," the moon hummed, surveying the rows of captured memories. "You get better and better with every one you take! You're a natural, Prompto!"

Whenever the sun was praised, the praise was absorbed with an abundance of genuine gratitude. So, with some of his light restored by the moon's glimmer, he introduced her to each memory. His spirit rose with each introduction. Jubilant bridges were built to each image, each mosaic of happiness, love and wonder. "When my scrapbook's done, it's gonna be great," he said once the bridges were done, not only speaking to her, but to himself as well. And Iris couldn't help but notice how the light in his eyes had dimmed, how it had become sorrowful, heavy.

"When it's all done, I won't have to worry about losing any memories of our time together."

There it was. Iris frowned again, and made no effort to conceal her discomfort. _Noct's seconds away from marrying Lady Lunafreya. That's what's going on. He's worried about being abandoned because of what's getting ready to happen. I know he's a chocobo, and baby animals don't like being alone, but this has got to stop._

The moon thought of several ways to approach the sun, and quickly found the perfect one. "That's why you left us?" she asked gently, clearly distressed. "Because you're worried about the guys leaving you once Noct's married?"

She was impaled by regret a second later, as the sadness that broke out on Prompto's face was enough to break a daemon's heart. But on she pressed, determined to restore the sun's light no matter what. "You're silly, but that's _too_ silly," Iris told him, firm yet loving. She shook her head, pondering the idiocy looming inside her friend's mind.

"They aren't gonna stop being friends with you just because a few things change. Sure, Noct's a prince, and my brother works in the palace with Ignis, but if that was going to stop them from being your friend, wouldn't it have stopped them already?"

The gunslinger's frown deepened. "A _lot_ of things are about to change," he shot back, his voice sad and frail, spirit growing heavier. "Yeah, it's okay _now,_ but once Noct ties the knot with Lady Lunafreya, it's not gonna be okay any more. Th' guys are all gonna hafta spend way more time in the palace, and…well…"

Iris' heart grew heavier, as all final traces of sunlight vanished. To deepen her wounds, he put on yet another smile. "Never mind," he told her with a wave, brushing off his thoughts as though they were dust specks on his shoulder.

"I'm just being lame. I should be happy for 'im, right?"

"No, you're _not_ just being 'lame'," Iris snapped, anger and concern joining hands. "If you're upset, you're upset. End of story. If you _weren't_ upset, you wouldn't have bolted like a chocobo with its tail on fire."

She sat next to him on the bed, eyes glowing with a blend of compassion, anger and confusion. "That's the _one_ thing I don't like about you," the moon told the sun. "You're always so cruel to yourself. It doesn't make any sense. It's like your eyes are in the back of your head or something. You're such a warm, wonderful person. How can you _not_ see it?"

Prompto responded with a look of utter astonishment, as though she had just asked him to teleport into another dimension. Clearly, the concept of giving himself credit for anything was completely foreign. "My brother talks about you all of the time," an indignant Iris told him, scooping the photographs on the bed into her arms. "Gladdy's crazy about you, as I'm sure Noct and Ignis are. I haven't been around you guys a long time, but I can see how crazy they are about you by how they act towards you. They _love_ you. And you think that once Noct's married, they're gonna stop being your friends?"

"Well, yeah," the sun replied, as though the moon had just spent the last couple of minutes speaking utter nonsense. "I mean, it's not like they should've become my friends in the first place. We have fun 'n everything, but at the end of the day, they've got a world to go back to. A world I don't belong in. I'm not royalty. Don't work in the palace, so-"

Not another word could be spoken, as he was silenced by a kiss. Iris had cupped his face and kissed the bridge of his nose, and for a moment, all that could be known as peace. Sunny, gentle, cleansing peace. When she pulled away from him, the sun realized that same peace had spilled into her eyes. As he drowned in a whirlpool of shock, she set his photographs onto the nearby desk, then forced him onto his feet by grabbing his hand. "C'mon," she said, her voice coming out in warm, merry song.

"You and I are going out."

"What? But I-"

"No 'buts'," Iris informed him, wagging a finger at him. "If you're going to be stupid, you can be stupid outside. I'm not going to let you waste away in here when there's a perfectly good market going on! And you said you LOVE fireworks, so come on, up 'n at 'em, Chocobo! Take your camera with you. You've got a ton of memories just waiting to be captured!"

"But-"

"Gotta fill up that book of yours, right? Noct and the others are gonna love it when it's done. And in the years to come, you'll all have something to look back on. It'll be proof of how strong your friendship is. How it'll never die, no matter how many years pass, no matter who becomes king. You think of your book as a clutch, something that'll keep you from falling apart once everything goes the way you say it will, but it's not like that. All of your pictures will prove you're meant to be friends forever, whatever happens. So let's go, Prompto, time for more pictures!"

So the sun was carried into the sky by the moon, and for a brief moment in time, all he knew was her light.


End file.
